Mobile terminal having floated displaying unit

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal having a floated display unit is provided. The mobile terminal includes a first body unit having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a second body, and a hinge unit. The second body unit is shorter than the first body unit, is disposed in a central part of the first surface of the first body unit, and has a first display unit disposed in a first surface of the second body unit opposite to a second surface of the body unit facing the first surface of the first body unit. The hinge unit connects the first body unit and the second body unit. The second body unit is movable about the hinge unit to open/close the second body unit with respect to the first surface of the first body unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2007-0121543, filed on Nov. 27, 2007, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a floateddisplay unit, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal having adisplay unit that appears to be floated forward.

2. Discussion of the Background

Nowadays, a mobile terminal has become an important necessity in dailyliving. According to the technical developments of a mobile terminal,the mobile terminal may provide voice information, message information,image information, MP3 services, games, and digital broadcastinginformation to a user. The user may confirm the information through adisplay unit of the mobile terminal.

In a conventional folder type or a slide type mobile terminal, since thelength of a first body unit is almost the same as that of a second bodyunit, a display unit may appear planar. Thus, an image displayed on thedisplay unit may not be floated or distinguished, which may deteriorateviewing efficiency.

In such a mobile terminal, a speaker may be used for digital broadcasts,moving pictures, or MP3 services.

However, the speaker in the conventional folder type or slide typemobile terminal may be installed in a side or rear surface of the mobileterminal. Accordingly, when viewing digital broadcasts or movingpictures on a display unit of the mobile terminal, sound may be outputthrough the side or rear surface of the mobile terminal, which may limitthe ability of the mobile terminal to provide a user with high qualitysound.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a mobile terminal having a floateddisplay unit in which an image appears to be floated in front of adisplay unit.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal having a floateddisplay unit that may provide a user with high quality sound.

Additional features of the invention will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The present invention discloses a mobile terminal including a first bodyunit having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the firstsurface, a second body unit, and a hinge unit. The second body unit isshorter than the first body unit, is disposed in a central part of thefirst surface of the first body unit, and has a first display unitdisposed in a first surface of the second body unit opposite to a secondsurface of the second body unit facing the first surface of the firstbody unit. The hinge unit connects the first body unit and the secondbody unit. The second body unit is movable about the hinge unit toopen/close second body unit with respect to the first surface of thefirst body unit.

The present invention also discloses a mobile terminal including a firstbody unit, a speaker unit, a second body unit, and a hinge unit. Thefirst body unit has a first region, a second region, and a third region.The second region is between the first region and the third region. Thespeaker unit includes a first speaker arranged in the first region and asecond speaker arranged in the third region. The second body unit isdisposed on the first body unit and the includes a first display unit.The hinge unit coupled the first body unit and the second body unit, andthe second body unit is movable about the hinge unit. When the secondbody unit is in a first position, the second body unit is disposed inthe second region only of the first body unit, the first display unit isexposed, and the first speaker and the second speaker are exposed atopposite sides of the second body unit.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mobile terminal having a floateddisplay unit according to a first exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, with a second body unit being closed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the mobile terminal in FIG. 1, withthe second body unit being opened.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mobile terminal having a floateddisplay unit according to a second exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, with a second body unit being closed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mobile terminal of FIG. 3, withthe second body unit being opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown.This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure isthorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes oflayers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like referencenumerals in the drawings denote like elements.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” or “connected to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly on or directly connected to the other element or layer, orintervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent.

A mobile terminal 100 according to a first exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention is a folder type mobile terminal, as shown in FIG. 1and FIG. 2, and includes a first body unit 10, a second body unit 20,and a hinge unit 30. The first body unit 10 has an inside surface 11, anoutside surface 13 facing the inside surface 11, and dual speakers 15respectively installed in opposite end parts of the inside surface 11.The second body unit 20 is installed above the inside surface 11 of thefirst body unit 10 inside of the dual speakers 15, and has a firstdisplay unit 25 installed in an outside surface 23 opposite to an insidesurface 21 facing the inside surface 11 of the first body unit 10. Thehinge unit 30 connects the first body unit 10 and the second body unit20, and opens/closes the second body unit 20 with respect to the firstbody unit 10. Here, the hinge unit 30 connects one end part of thesecond body unit 20 adjacent to one of the dual speakers 15 and one endpart of the first body unit 10.

The dual speakers 15 of the first body unit 10 are installed outside ofopposite end parts, that is, opposite short side edge parts of the firstdisplay unit 25. Thus, when a user wants to use the first display unit25 in a landscape mode, a user may turn the mobile terminal 100. In thiscase, since the dual speakers 15 are positioned outside of the oppositeend parts of the first display unit 25, the user may listen to highquality sound output through the dual speakers 15.

The first body unit 10 includes a keypad 17 and a microphone 19 that areinstalled in the inside surface 11 thereof. When the second body unit 20is closed, the keypad 17 and the microphone 19 are covered by the secondbody unit 20, and thus, the keypad 17 and the microphone 19 are notexposed. When the second body unit 20 is opened, the keypad 17 and themicrophone 19 are exposed.

The second body unit 20 includes a second display unit 27 installed inthe inside surface 21 thereof. That is, the second body unit 20 has twodisplay units 25 and 27. The second body unit 20 includes an earpiece 29that is installed opposite to the hinge unit 30. In particular, thesecond body unit 20 is shorter than the first body unit 10 and isinstalled in a central part of the inside surface 11 of the first bodyunit 10, which provides a floating effect in which the first displayunit 25 appears to float.

The two display units 25 and 27 may be liquid crystal displays (LCDs),however, other display devices such as active matrix organic lightemitting diodes (AM OLEDs) may be used. The first display unit 25installed in the outside surface of the mobile terminal 100 may have arelatively big screen and relatively good resolution, compared with thesecond display unit 27. For example, the first display unit 25 may beembodied as a large-sized quarter video graphics array (QVGA) LCD andthe second display unit 27 may be embodied as a small-sized quartercommon intermediate format (QCIF) LCD. However, the present invention isnot limited thereto, and thus, the two display units 25 and 27 may havethe same size and resolution.

The first display unit 25 may provide a multimedia mode to display ascreen of multimedia functions such as digital broadcasts, movingpictures, or MP3 services; and the second display unit 27 may provide acommunication mode to display a screen of typical functions such ascommunication. Further, when displaying a screen, the first display unit25 may provide a landscape mode, and the second display unit 27 mayprovide a portrait mode. However, the two display units 25 and 27 arenot limited to the above-described modes.

Screens of the two display units 25 and 27 are not turned onsimultaneously. In other words, if one of the display units is turnedon, the other may be turned off.

In particular, when the first display unit 25 is activated to perform amultimedia mode when the second body unit 20 is closed, the dualspeakers 15 are activated. Accordingly, a user may watch an imagedisplayed on the first display unit 25 and listen to high quality soundoutput through the dual speakers 15 installed outside of the oppositeend parts of the first display unit 25.

Further, when the second display unit 27 is activated to perform acommunication mode when the second body unit 20 is opened, the earpiece29 and the microphone 19 are activated.

Since the second body unit 20 having the two display units 25 and 27 isinstalled in the central part of the first body unit 10, and the dualspeakers 15 are exposed outside of the opposite end parts of the secondbody unit 20, the second body unit 20 may float or protrude with respectto the first body unit 10. Accordingly, when watching digital broadcastsor moving pictures on the first display unit 25, the user may focus onthe first display unit 25.

Further, since the dual speakers 15 are arranged in the opposite endparts of the first body unit 10, the weight thereof may be stablydistributed in the first body unit 10, and accordingly the user maystably manipulate the mobile terminal 100 while holding the mobileterminal 100.

As described above, since the second body unit 20 having the firstdisplay unit 25 is installed in the central part of the first body unit10, and is shorter than the first body unit 10, the mobile terminal 100according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention mayprovide a floating effect in which the first display unit 25 appears tofloat. Thus, the digital broadcasts or moving pictures displayed on thefirst display unit 25 may be distinct, and the user may focus on animage displayed on the first display unit 25.

Further, in the mobile terminal 100 according to the first exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, since the dual speakers 15 areexposed in the same direction as the first display unit 25, an imagedisplay direction of the first display unit 25 and a sound outputdirection through the dual speakers 15 are the same. Accordingly, whenthe second body unit 25 is closed, the user can watch an image displayedthrough the first display unit 25 and listen to high quality soundoutput through the dual speakers 15, in the same direction.

A mobile terminal 200 according to a second exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention is a slide type mobile terminal, as shown in FIG. 3and FIG. 4, and includes a first body unit 110, a second body unit 120,and a hinge unit 130. The first body unit 110 has an inside surface 111,an outside surface 113 opposite to the inside surface 111, and dualspeakers 115 installed in opposite end parts of the inside surface 111.The second body unit 120 is installed above the inside surface 111 ofthe first body unit 110 inside of the dual speakers 115, and has adisplay unit 125 installed in an outside surface 123 opposite to aninside surface 121 facing the inside surface 111 of the first body unit110. The hinge unit 130 connects the first body unit 110 and the secondbody unit 120, and opens/closes the second body unit 120 with respect tothe first body unit 110. The hinge unit 130 has a sliding hinge toopen/close the second body unit 120 by translating the second body unit120 in a lengthwise direction of the first body unit 110.

Since the second body unit 120 having the display unit 125 is installedin a central part of the first body unit 110, and is shorter than thefirst body unit 110, the mobile terminal 200 according to the secondexemplary embodiment of the present invention may provide a floatingeffect in which the display unit 125 appears to float. Accordingly,digital broadcasts or moving pictures displayed through the display unit125 may be distinct, and thus, a user may focus an image displayed onthe display unit 125.

Further, in the mobile terminal 200 according to the second exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, since the dual speakers 115 areexposed in the same direction as the display unit 125, an image displaydirection on the display unit 125 and a sound output direction throughthe dual speakers 115 may be the same. Accordingly, when the second bodyunit 120 is closed, the user may watch an image displayed through thedisplay unit 125 and listen to high quality sound output through thedual speakers 115, in the same direction.

The dual speakers 115 of the first body unit 110 are installed outsideof opposite end parts, that is, opposite short side edge parts of thedisplay unit 125. Thus, when a user wants to use the display unit 125 ina landscape mode, the user may turn the mobile terminal 200. In thiscase, since the dual speakers 115 are positioned outside of the oppositeend parts of the display unit 125, the user may listen to high qualitysound output through the dual speakers 115.

A keypad 117 and a microphone 119 are installed in the inside surface111 of the first body unit 110. The keypad 117 and the microphone 119are covered by the second body unit 120 and are not exposed when thesecond body unit 120 is closed. The keypad 117 and the microphone 119are exposed when the second body unit 120 is opened.

The display unit 125 of the second body unit 120 is typically embodiedas an LCD, however other display devices such as an AM OLED may be used.The second body unit 120 may include an earpiece 129 installed in an endpart of the outside surface 123 thereof, outside of the display unit125.

In particular, when the display unit 125 is activated to perform amultimedia mode when the second body unit 120 is closed, the dualspeakers 115 are activated. Accordingly, the user may watch an imagedisplayed through the display unit 125 and listen to high quality soundoutput through the dual speakers 115, in the same direction.

When the display unit 125 is activated to perform a communication modein the state that the second body unit 120 is opened, the earpiece 129and the microphone 119 are activated.

Since the second body unit 120 having the display unit 125 is installedin the central part of the first body unit 110 and the dual speakers 115are exposed outside of the opposite end parts of the second body unit120, the second body unit 120 may appear to float or protrude withrespect to the first body unit 110. Accordingly, when watching digitalbroadcasts or moving pictures on the display unit 125, the user mayfocus on the display unit 125.

Since the dual speakers 115 are arranged in the opposite end parts ofthe first body unit 110, the weight thereof may be stably distributed inthe first body unit 110, and accordingly, the user may stably manipulatethe mobile terminal 200 when holding the mobile terminal 200.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variation can be made in the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A mobile terminal, comprising: a first body unit having a firstsurface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a secondbody unit that is shorter than the first body unit, the second body unitbeing configured to be disposed in a central part of the first surfaceof the first body unit, the second body unit comprising a first displayunit disposed in a first surface of the second body unit, wherein thefirst surface of the second body unit is opposite to a second surface ofthe second body unit, and wherein the second surface of the second bodyunit is configured to face the first surface of the first body unit; anda hinge unit configured to connect the first body unit and the secondbody unit, the hinge unit being further configured to enable the secondbody unit to be moved about the hinge unit to open/close the second bodyunit with respect to the first surface of the first body unit, whereinthe second body unit further comprises a second display unit disposed inthe second surface of the second body unit.
 2. The mobile terminal ofclaim 1, wherein the first body unit comprises dual speakersrespectively disposed in opposite end parts of the first surface of thefirst body unit outside of the second body unit.
 3. The mobile terminalof claim 2, wherein the hinge unit is configured to connect one end partof the second body unit adjacent to one of the dual speakers and thefirst body unit.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the firstbody unit further comprises a keypad and a microphone that are disposedin the first surface of the first body unit and are covered by thesecond body unit, and the second body unit further comprises an earpiecethat is disposed in the second surface of the second body unit anotherend part of the second body unit opposite to the hinge unit.
 5. Themobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the dual speakers are configured tobe activated when the first display unit is activated while the secondbody unit is closed.
 6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein theearpiece and the microphone are configured to be activated when thesecond display unit is activated while the second body unit is opened.7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first body unit furthercomprises a keypad and a microphone that are disposed in the firstsurface of the first body unit and are covered by the second body unit,and the second body unit further comprises an earpiece disposed in thefirst surface of the second body unit.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim2, wherein the dual speakers are configured to be activated when thefirst display unit is activated while the second body unit is closed. 9.The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the earpiece and the microphoneare configured to be activated when the first display unit is activatedwhile the second body unit is opened.